Bronte Wells
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major source of air pollution and is responsible for climate change. Despite this, it has not been specifically identified as a pollutant in the Clean Air Act (CAA), and no air quality standards for CO2 levels have been legally set. However, in 2022, new language was introduced that defines carbon dioxide as a pollutant, giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate it as a greenhouse gas. This has laid the foundation for the EPA to regulate CO2 and push for the adoption of renewable energy sources.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Carbon dioxide a pollutant | Yes |
| Regulated by EPA | Yes |
| Regulated by CAA | No |
| Major source of air pollution | Yes |
| Harmful to health | Yes |
| Harmful to the environment | Yes |
| Cause property damage | Yes |
| EPA's GHG Tailoring Rule | Established in May 2010 |
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What You'll Learn
Carbon dioxide is a pollutant
The new language in the 2022 climate bill defines carbon dioxide as a pollutant, giving the EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse gases. This will make it much harder for legal challenges to climate regulation to win, even in a conservative court. The EPA can now use its power to push the adoption of wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.
Despite the progress made in the last few decades, millions of people still live in counties with monitored concentration data showing unhealthy air due to carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Carbon dioxide emissions have been considered one of the main sources of air pollution, leading to serious concern due to its climatic effects as a greenhouse gas. Various approaches have been examined to improve the removal efficiency of applied methods, such as adsorption, biological methods, filtration by membranes, ion-exchange, ozonation, electrocoagulation, electrolysis of the solution, photocatalysis, and high-performance advanced oxidation processes.
While the 2022 climate bill lays the foundation for the EPA to regulate CO2, it is important to note that it does not solve the climate crisis or directly reduce emissions. The bill does not include any regulations restricting carbon emissions, but it lays the legal groundwork for the EPA to take action. With this new language, the EPA can reasonably expect to block future legal challenges to any action it takes to regulate CO2 and encourage sustainable energy.
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The EPA regulates carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a major source of air pollution and is responsible for climate change. While the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish national ambient air quality standards for specific pollutants, it has not been updated to reflect the scientific consensus on climate change. As a result, the EPA does not have a stated mandate to fight climate change. However, the EPA has repeatedly attempted to curb carbon dioxide emissions to protect public health and air quality.
In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, holding that the EPA could not treat greenhouse gases as air pollutants for determining whether a source requires a permit. This decision limited the EPA's ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions directly. Despite this setback, the EPA has continued to find ways to address carbon dioxide emissions. For example, the EPA's GHG Tailoring Rule, issued in 2010, established a common-sense approach to permitting GHG emissions and set initial emission thresholds.
In 2022, the climate bill laid the foundation for the EPA to regulate CO2 by defining carbon dioxide as a pollutant. This gives the EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse gases and encourage the adoption of renewable energy sources. With this new language, the EPA can expect to block future legal challenges to any action it takes to regulate CO2. The EPA now has the mandate to pursue carbon regulation that can help the United States address the climate crisis.
The EPA's efforts to regulate carbon dioxide emissions are crucial in mitigating the detrimental impacts of air pollution on human health and the environment. Air pollutants can cause various diseases, including asthma, lung cancer, and heart failure. Additionally, they can result in environmental degradation and property damage. By regulating carbon dioxide emissions, the EPA can help improve air quality and protect the health and well-being of millions of people.
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The Clean Air Act
While the CAA has been successful in reducing air pollution and protecting public health, it has not specifically identified carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as a pollutant. Despite CO2 being the primary driver of climate change, there are no legally set air quality standards for CO2 levels under the CAA. However, the EPA has repeatedly attempted to curb CO2 emissions within the spirit of the CAA's intent to protect public health and air quality.
The 2022 revisions to the CAA aimed to address four critical environmental and health concerns: acid rain, urban air pollution, toxic air emissions, and stratospheric ozone depletion. These amendments strengthened enforcement mechanisms and established a national operating permits program. Despite progress, air pollution in the United States continues to adversely affect people's health and the environment, highlighting the ongoing importance of the Clean Air Act and its implementation.
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Carbon capture technologies
Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) technologies are essential to combat climate change by capturing and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has emphasised that, in addition to reducing emissions, we must deploy technologies to remove CO2 from the atmosphere to meet the Paris Agreement goals and limit future temperature increases to 1.5°C.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refer to a collection of technologies that capture the CO2 generated by burning fossil fuels before they are released into the atmosphere. The captured CO2 is then compressed, transported via pipelines, and injected deep underground into geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers, for permanent storage. This process creates a “closed loop” where carbon is returned to the Earth as CO2 after being extracted as fossil fuels. Today, CCS projects are storing about 45 million tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to the emissions of approximately 10 million passenger cars.
There are various carbon capture technologies in development and use. One approach is bioenergy with CCS (BECCS), where biomass, such as wood or grasses, absorbs CO2 from the air through photosynthesis. The biomass is then burned in a power plant to generate energy, with the resulting CO2 being captured and stored, creating "negative emissions." Another method, direct air capture (DAC), involves removing CO2 directly from the air using chemical processes. However, DAC is currently expensive due to the low concentration of CO2 in the air compared to industrial plants or power plants.
Captured CO2 can also be utilised for various purposes. One major use is enhanced oil recovery (EOR), where CO2 is injected into active oil reservoirs to increase oil extraction. Additionally, CO2 can be converted into valuable products, such as plastics, building materials like cement and concrete, fuels, carbon fibres, and even household items like baking soda and paints. Companies are actively exploring these innovative uses, and some products are already commercially available, albeit in small quantities.
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Carbon dioxide's health impact
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is now legally defined as a pollutant in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating national air quality and has been granted the authority to curb carbon dioxide emissions and encourage the adoption of renewable energy sources. While this is a significant development, it is important to note that the focus is primarily on the environmental impact of CO2 as the main driver of climate change, rather than its direct impact on human health.
Indeed, the direct health impact of carbon dioxide has been the subject of several studies. High levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can have a range of adverse effects on human health. For example, a study in Colorado found a relationship between home ventilation rates and respiratory health, suggesting that inadequate ventilation can lead to respiratory issues. Another study in Nigeria examined the effects of increased outdoor carbon dioxide on the environment and human health, indicating a broader impact beyond indoor spaces.
The specific health consequences of exposure to carbon dioxide can vary. At lower levels, between 1000 and 2000 parts per million (ppm), symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, restlessness, and difficulty breathing. However, as carbon dioxide levels exceed 2000 ppm, the situation can become more serious, potentially leading to elevated blood pressure, coma, asphyxia, and convulsions.
The recognition of carbon dioxide as a regulated pollutant is a step towards addressing these health concerns. It empowers the EPA to take action, promote renewable energy, and improve air quality, which will have positive flow-on effects for human health and the environment. While the initial focus may be on curbing emissions and climate change, the health impacts of carbon dioxide are an important consideration that should also inform policy and regulatory decisions.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, carbon dioxide (CO2) is a regulated pollutant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases, including CO2, and has set air quality standards for common criteria pollutants.
The EPA has attempted to curb carbon dioxide emissions through various programs and regulations, such as the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the GHG Tailoring Rule. The CAA sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for criteria air pollutants, while the GHG Tailoring Rule focuses on permitting GHG emissions and improving the usefulness of plant-wide applicability limitations (PALs).
There has been a long history of legal challenges to the EPA's attempts to curb greenhouse gas emissions. For example, in the case of West Virginia vs. EPA, a conservative Supreme Court reigned in the EPA's efforts to fight climate change. Additionally, the EPA's interpretation of certain laws, such as the Clean Air Act, has been disputed in court cases like Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA.
